Consequences
by Jasque
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin chooses to turn back time, but is it the right choice?


**A/N: A big thank you to wanderlust-and-wallflowers for beta'ing.**

* * *

_The Deal_

"It can be undone. The new world is neither better nor worse, but they'll live in comfort."

"All I have to do is fight?"

"Yes."

"Then ... do it."

The dryad lifted a long skinny finger and touched Rumpelstiltskin's forehead. In the blink of an eye he found himself in a battlefield, the battlefield that he abandoned 300 odd years ago.

Clinging to the images of brilliant blue eyes and chocolate brown hair, he fought bravely before the Grim Reaper embraced him.

Ripples of magic spread through Fairy Tale Land and the deal between Rumpelstiltskin and the dryad was set in motion, forever altering the course of fate and that of his son and lover.

* * *

_The Son_

"Papa! That wonky boy stole our bread!"

Hearing the shout, the bread thief sprinted through the busy market despite the pain in his lame right leg. Luck was on the thief's side, for the man chasing him was fat and slow, making it harder for him to navigate the crowded market.

Certain he was safe from the man's clutches the boy slowed down and headed to his family's manor, located on the outskirts of town. Silently creeping into his room, the boy took off his ragged clothes and crawled into bed.

The strong smell of musk still clung to his bed sheet and he was glad the servant girl had enough senses to leave before his return. He hated dealing with their pathetic tears in the morning.

As the boy fell asleep he dreamed of a rundown shed. Despite its dilapidated state he could feel a sensation of warmth as he entered it. It felt … homely. There was a man singing to a sleeping child and for some unknown reason, the boy felt comforted by the man's singing.

"I love you, my Baelfire," the man whispered.

The boy wanted to know why the child's name was the same as his and reached out to touch the man's shoulder, hoping to get his attention. Like the dreams before, the man disappeared in a puff of smoke. The settings were always different, but the ending was always the same.

The bread thief could neither understand why he kept having these recurring dreams, nor the constant presence of a void in his heart. Until his dying day he lived a life of comfort, yet he never knew what it was that the void needed, for nothing could satisfy it.

* * *

_The Lover_

Winter fell hard on the little duchy, and its people were struggling to survive. A pair of blue eyes looked down on her little domain, wishing there was more that she could do. Her mind was so wrapped up in finding a solution that she did not hear the sound of heavy boots approaching.

"It is late. You should come to bed."

The woman turned to her husband and gave him a sad smile. She was tired and it would not do for her to fall sick, not when her people needed her strength. Nodding her head, warmly covered in her husband's cloak, they walked to their chamber in silence.

Laying on the bed and facing her sleeping husband, she wondered what her life would have been if she had truly married for love. Following this train of thought caused the woman to snort.

Their marriage was a marriage of convenience. They had been good friends and tolerated one another's quirks, though his occasional vanity aggravated her. She still believed it was the right decision, for her duchy sorely needed the protection that her husband could provide.

Despite the benefits and comfort from this merger, she could not stop wondering if there had been a better solution at that time. As always, her mind came up blank.

The woman sighed and closed her eyes, hoping her dreams would be filled with adventures and caresses from the man with warm brown eyes and infectious laughter.

* * *

_The Consequence_

People lived and died and laughed and cried, that was the way of the world. Lovers met and parted and some never found one another. Reaping the result of his deal, his Son and Lover lived in comfort. He would never know they were among the many lost and lonely souls, for living a loveless life is the most painful life of all.


End file.
